President Trump said Wednesday that “massive” oil, gas and mineral exploration would soon begin in “our new and beautiful Greenland,” though he didn’t explain what developments he meant. Greenland is a self-governing territory of Denmark, not part of the United States. His claim followed months of tension over his demands to take control of the territory, yet no agreement gives the United States special exploration rights.
Naaja H. Nathanielsen, who represents Greenland at the Danish parliament, told Danish broadcaster TV2 she believed Trump posted the claim to get attention. She said she didn’t attach significance to his calling the island “our Greenland.” The account offers no description of any grassroots or community-led response to the announcement.
A claim without exploration rights
Last month, Trump signed a deal with the leaders of Denmark and Greenland to strengthen security in the Arctic and North Atlantic. The agreement limits some investments by non-NATO countries in strategic sectors and allows for more U.S. bases in Greenland. It doesn’t give the United States special rights to explore for minerals, oil or gas. The deal would remain in effect if Greenland eventually chooses independence.
For decades, Greenland’s harsh climate, Arctic ice and lack of infrastructure have thwarted extraction efforts. No effort has advanced beyond the exploratory stage. The island holds large deposits of rare earth minerals used in computers, smartphones, batteries, and solar and wind technologies intended to support a transition away from fossil fuels. But the minerals sit encased in rock, making extraction potentially prohibitively difficult.
The U.S. Geological Survey has identified major potential offshore deposits of oil and natural gas, beneath Arctic ice. China dominates the world’s supply of critical minerals, and the Trump administration wants to break Beijing’s “chokehold” on them. Officials describe strategic value, but physical barriers on the ground stand in the way.
Security as the sales pitch
Trump promoted Greenland’s strategic location in a Truth Social post, writing that, “from a Security Purpose in the Defense and Offense of both the United States of America, and Europe,” the island is “second to none.” He said: “Any future attack on the United States will have to come across Greenland, where our Defense will routinely knock down drones, missiles, or any other form of weapon not yet even conceived. It gives us time, location, and sightline, like nowhere else in the World!”
The U.S. military presence in Greenland has shrunk since 1945, when thousands of soldiers served across 17 bases and installations. Today, roughly 200 soldiers serve at the remote Pituffik Space Base in the northwest. The base supports missile warning, missile defense and space surveillance operations for the United States and NATO. Last month, Trump said the United States would “immediately begin the process of developing a large military presence in the appropriate locations,” including “building two very major military bases.”
Election pressure, resource pressure
Trump posted after a campaign event Tuesday in Wasilla, Alaska, where he stumped for Republican U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan. Sullivan is seeking a third term against Democratic former U.S. congresswoman Mary Peltola. Rising energy prices, described in the article as a direct result of Trump’s war in Iran, were causing serious and sustained financial hardships for America’s working class ahead of next month’s midterm elections. The article said Trump’s comments were likely aimed at addressing voters’ concerns before they vote.
Trump has wanted to acquire Greenland since 2019. During his second term, he threatened to seize the territory from Denmark, a NATO ally. Representatives from Denmark’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Greenland’s prime minister and the island’s mining ministry didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment Wednesday. For now, his claim of imminent exploration stands beside an agreement that grants no special U.S. exploration rights and Arctic terrain that has kept extraction at the exploratory stage.